Graduate Entry Medicine in Australia

Graduate entry medical programmes are 4-year medical programmes that are designed for students who have already completed an undergraduate degree. This is different from the 6 to 7-year undergraduate-entry medical programmes, which allow students to apply directly from high school.

Graduate-entry programmes require applicants to first complete an undergraduate or higher degree. These programmes are 4 years long, not including specialty training, but the workload is more intensive with more interactive learning and earlier patient contact.

Irrespective of whether you join an undergraduate or graduate medicine programme, you will graduate with same qualification and will then have to complete your internship, residency and specialty training.

Schools that offer graduate entry medicine programmes

Of Australia’s 18 medical schools, eight belong to the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT) Consortium of graduate-entry medical schools. If you are considering the graduate entry medicine option, these are the schools you could apply to:

Deakin University

Wollongong University

The University of Queensland

The University of Melbourne

Australian National University

The University of Notre Dame Fremantle

The University of Notre Dame Sydney

Griffith University

The University of Western Australia

Eligibility requirements

You are eligible to apply for graduate-entry medical programmes if you have completed or currently are in the last year of their Bachelor or higher degree at the time of application. No particular Bachelor degree is given preference in the graduate-entry medical programme application process.

However, if you obtained your degree overseas, your qualification must be recognised as equivalent to the training and education provided by an Australian Bachelor degree. This assessment is done by NOOSR or The National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition.

If you are applying to a Commonwealth Supported Place or other domestic places at graduate-entry schools, you must also have a current GAMSAT score. Many school shave minimum GASAT and GPA requirements, but these school requirements vary, so be sure to check with each school’s Admissions Office.

Should you consider the graduate entry medicine option?

Graduate-entry medical students are well-respected and held in high regard, as they generally are certain, after having experience in other fields of study, that the field of medicine is the perfect fit for them.

If you already hold a degree and are looking for a career pathway change, this option may be the perfect solution for you especially if you are looking for a career that is focused on helping others. You may very likely earn your medical degree at an older age than other medical students who apply directly from high school, so be prepared for the age difference between you and some of your career peers.

If you are serious about pursuing graduate-entry medicine, it is a good idea to speak to one of the 18 Australian institutions above about the programmes they offer and how to make yourself a competitive applicant. You may even want to connect with a practising doctor who has chosen this route into medicine, to get valuable firsthand stories about this unique journey toward becoming a physician.

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